Temporary closure device for water-closet bowls, &amp;c.



H. A. W. SPENCER.

TBMPQRARY CLOSURE DEVICE FOR WATER CLOSET BOWLS, 6w. APPLICATION rnlm)DEG.20,1907.

906,077. I Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. W. SPENCER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TEMPORARY CLOSURE DEVICE FOR WATER-CLOSET BOWLS, 800.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A. W. SPENCER, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TemporaryClosure Devices for Water-Closet Bowls, &c., of which the following is aspecification.

My improved closure device is intended for use temporarily durin theinstallation of plumbing in buildings in course of construction, wherehouses or apartments are unoccupied, or in public or other places whereplumbing is outof order. Plumbers are particularly subjected toannoyance and delay by reason of the premature or improper use of waterclosets before they are properly connected up; by reason of the bowlsbeing stood upon before they are properly set in position and the bowlsbeing in various other ways subjected to abuse which results ininconvenience and loss.

In order to be practically and commercially successful a closure of thischaracter must be much less complicated and expen sive than thoseheretofore designed for the purpose in so far as I am aware, and theobject of my invention is to afford a comparatively simple, inexpensivedevice for the purpose which may not only be quickly and convenientlyapplied to seal a water closet bowl temporarily, but which will alsoprevent the use of the latter as a step, stand or support, forextraneous objects.

The invention consists in the combination, construction and arrangementof parts hereinafter described and claimed specifically.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a top view of a water closetbowl to which one of my improved closure devices has been applied; Fig.2, a transverse vertical sectional elevation on plane of line 22Fig. 1;Fig. 3, is a longitudinal sectional elevation upon plane of line 83'Fig.1; Fig. 4, is a top view of the clamp bar; Fig. 5, a view of a keywrench suitable for use in connection with my improved closure device.

B represents a wash bowl of any ordinary and well known constructionhaving the usual inturned flange Z).

G is a temporary emergency cover preferably stamped out of a singlepiece of sheet Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 20, 1907.

Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

Serial No. 407,359.

metal. This cover is convex externally of an inclination or curvaturesufficiently steep to prevent a person from standing thereon or usingthe cover as a rest or support for extraneous objects. It is preferablyformed with flaring edges 0, c, to extend over the curved upper rim ofthe water closet bowl B, except at its back portion which fits over theflat back ortion Z), of the bowl,-said back portion 0 the cover 0, beingof preferably Lmiform curvature or inclination, as indicated in Fig. 3.At the front and sides, where formed with the flaring edges 0, thelatter merge into the body of the cover without angle or offsetsufficient to afl'ord a foothold, and will be readily understood byreference to Fig. 2. The cover C is formed at its apex or center with arecess or depression 0 to receive and accommodate the head s, of a screwS, the body of which extends through a perforation a, in the floor ofthe said recess 0 The recess is of greater depth than the height of thescrew head so that access can only be had to the latter by means of aspecial key K made for the purpose and fitting within the recess 0 whenapplied to the screw head.

T is a transverse clamp bar of such length that the ends t, t, fit underthe inturned flanges Z), of the water closet bowl B, when the said clampbar is placed in position across the lesser diameter thereof. As, ingeneral practice and trade, water closet bowls of the different standardsizes vary less than an inch in transverse diameter, the length of thetransverse clamp bar T and the lesser diameter of the cover C, mayreadily be made to include and be applicable to any and all the watercloset bowls in ordinary use, the minimum length of bar and diameter ofcover being available for use on the maximum size of water closet bowls.The transverse clamp bar T is virtually a nut bar, being formed with acentral perforation t, which is tapped to afford a female thread forengagement with the male thread of the screw S. This threaded centralnut portion t of the transverse clamp bar T is preferably on a higherplane than that of the ends 26, 6, thereof when the bar is in a verticalposition, as in use so that a relatively short screw S may be used,-thetransverse clamping bar constituting virtually an inverted U-shapedclamping nut. I r

In practice the parts are assembled ready for use, the transverse clampor nut bar T being coupled to the convex cover by means of the screw S.In applying the cover to a closet bowl the bar T is adjusted on thescrew S to allow the ends 2?, t, of the bar T to swing under theinturned flanges b, of the bowl, when the screw is tightened by means ofthe special key K so as to clamp the cover rigidly upon the bowl. In theabsence of the special key K or equivalent device, the bowl cannot thenbe tampered with, nor can the cover be stood upon or otherwise used as asupport for articles of weight. Hence if the bowl has just been placedupon its foundation, the setting of the latter cannot be impaired, norcan the bowl be broken by reason of its use as a stand or step, or as asupport for extraneous objects. Furthermore the bowl cannot besurreptitiously used for any improper purpose unless a suitable key isavailable, and as this is presumably in possession of the plumber orperson in charge, it is obvious that under ordinary conditions ampleprotection is aiforded.

Ordinarily considerable damage and loss results during the installationof water closets in large new apartment buildings, especially in coldweather by reason of the freezing of liquids surreptitiously introducedinto them, or from their becoming foul or clogged by the introduction ofsolid matter, so that the cost of replacement, or of time and laborinvolved in rectifying such abuses becomes a serious item of expense.All these objections I overcome by a simple, cheap contrivance which maybe discarded after use without material loss as compared with thatinvolved in the illegitimate use of the bowl as hereinbefore intimated.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. A temporary closure device for water closet bowls consisting of anexternally convex cover fitting over the top of the bowl, the convexityof external surface of the cover being suflicient to prevent the use ofthe cover as a standing place, a clamping screw passing through aperforation in said cover with its head bearing on top thereof, and atransverse clamping bar formed with a female screw thread engaging saidclamping screw and having its ends adapted to fit under the inturnedflange of the rim of the water closet bowl, for the purpose described-2. A temporary closure device for water closet bowls consisting of anexternally convex cover fitting over the top of the bowl, the convexityof the external surface of the cover being suiiicient to prevent the useof the cover as a standing place and it being formed with a centraldepression or recess, a clamping screw passing through a perforation inthe floor of said recess and bearing against said floor, and atransverse clamping bar formed with a female screw thread engaging saidclamping screw and having its ends adapted to fit under the inturnedflange of the rim of the water closet bowl, for the purpose described. 7

3. A temporary closure device for water closet bowls consisting of anexternally convex cover fitting over the top of the bowl, the convexityof external surface of the cover being sufiicient to prevent the use ofthe cover as a standing place, a clamping screw passing through aperforation in said cover with its head bearing on top thereof, and aninverted U-shaped transverse clamping bar formed with a central femalescrew thread engaging said clamping screw and having its ends adapted tofit under the inturned flange of the rim of the water closet bowl, forthe purpose described.

4. A temporary closure device for water;

closet bowls consisting of an externally COIl-l vex cover formed withflaring edges and litting over the top of the bowl, the convexity ofexternal surface of the cover being sufficient to prevent the use of thecover as a standing place, a clamping screw passing through aperforation in said cover with its head bearing on top thereof, and atransverse clamping bar formed with a female screw thread engaging saidclamping screw and having its ends adapted to fit under the inturnedflange of the rim of the water closet bowl, for the purpose described.

5. A temporary closure device for water closet bowls consisting of anexternally convex cover stamped out of a single piece of sheet metal,and fitting over the top of the bowl, the convexity of external surfaceof the cover being sufiicient to prevent the use of the cover as astanding place, a clamping screw passing through a perforation in saidcover with its head bearing on top thereof, and a transverse clampingbar formed with a female screw thread engaging said clamping screw andhaving its ends adapted to fit under the inturned flange of the rim ofthe water closet bowl, for the purpose described.

6. A temporary closure device for water closet bowls, consisting of anexternally convex cover fitting over the top of the bowl, the convexityof the external surface of the cover being sufficient to prevent the useof the cover as a standing place, and means for clamping said cover tothe bowl for the purpose clescribed.

7 A temporary closure device for water closet bowls, consisting of anexternally convex cover fitting over the top of the bowl, i through thecover, and externally operated the convexity of the external surface ofthe means bearing against the top of the cover 10 cover being suflicientto prevent the use of for utilizing said screw to secure the cover tothe cover as a standing place, a transverse the bowl, for the purposespecified.

clamping bar having ends adapted to fit un HARRY A. W. SBENCER. der theinturned flange of the rim of the VVit-nesses: water closet bowl, ascrew connected With GEO. VVM. MIATT,

said transverse clamping bar and projecting D. WV. GARDNER.

